Irving-less Celtics hold off Raptors for 12th straight victory

Read Next QC cops nab robbery gang leader, cohort View comments Japan ex-PM Nakasone who boosted ties with US dies at 101 Boston (12-2) was playing without Kyrie Irving after he took an inadvertent elbow to the face from teammate Aron Baynes on Friday night against Charlotte. Irving has a minor facial fracture but has not been diagnosed with a concussion as initially feared.Jaylen Brown added 18 points, and Rozier helped fill in for Irving with 16 points off the bench. Boston shot just 40.2 percent from the field.DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points, and Kyle Lowry had 19 points and seven assists for Toronto. The Raptors dropped to 7-5 after winning two straight.“They are the best team in the NBA right now, 12 in a row,” Lowry said. “They’re playing unbelievable, everyone is picking up slack.”Jayson Tatum’s acrobatic layup with 1:26 remaining in the fourth quarter put the Celtics up 95-90.ADVERTISEMENT Huge Toronto crowd celebrates Raptors’ historic win PLAY LIST 01:08Huge Toronto crowd celebrates Raptors’ historic win03:12Kevin Durant out with Achilles injury; to undergo MRI on Tuesday01:43Who are Filipinos rooting for in the NBA Finals?01:37Protesters burn down Iran consulate in Najaf01:47Panelo casts doubts on Robredo’s drug war ‘discoveries’01:29Police teams find crossbows, bows in HK university01:35Panelo suggests discounted SEA Games tickets for students02:49Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. DeRozan missed a potential go-ahead stepback jumper with 19 seconds remaining. Tatum got the rebound, but elbowed Fred VanVleet in the face for an offensive foul that was confirmed by video review.DeRozan had another look to give Toronto the win, but missed a turnaround jumper with 2 seconds left. Serge Ibaka scooped up the rebound, but lost the ball as time expired.“He shook him, he was wide open, vaulted up, and I’ll take that shot 999 times out of 1,000,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said about DeRozan’s effort.Brown, who was guarding DeRozan on the final possession, was a bit surprised himself that the shot didn’t go down.“That’s a shot that DeMar DeRozan probably hits nine times out of ten,” Brown said. “I got a late contest, but he missed this one so we’ll take the win.”STREAKINGBoston’s 12-game winning streak is tied for its third-longest in the last 30 years. The Celtics also won 12 straight from Jan. 11-Feb. 3, 2009. Toronto has never snapped an opponent’s winning streak of 10 or more games in franchise history, according to Elias Sports Bureau.MASKED KYRIEIrving visited a facial specialist Sunday and was fitted for a mask after being injured Friday. The last time Irving played in a mask was on Dec. 15, 2012, when he scored a then-career-high 41 points versus New York with Cleveland.PASSING BARGNANI Typhoon Kammuri accelerates, gains strength en route to PH Boston Celtics’ Terry Rozier (12) and Jayson Tatum (0) celebrate at the buzzer as Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry (7) and Fred VanVleet walk off the court after an NBA basketball game in Boston, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)BOSTON — Al Horford turned back the clock in his return from a two-game absence with a concussion.Horford scored 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting to help the Boston Celtics hang on to beat the Toronto Raptors 95-94 on Sunday for their 12th straight victory.ADVERTISEMENT Stronger peso trims PH debt value to P7.9 trillion “He’s playing young again,” teammate Terry Rozier said.Horford had 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists against his former team in Atlanta on Monday night, the same day an elbow to the head from Kent Bazemore sent him into the NBA’s concussion protocol. Horford also missed nine games last season with a concussion.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSWATCH: Drones light up sky in final leg of SEA Games torch runSPORTSSEA Games: Philippines picks up 1st win in men’s water poloSPORTSMalditas save PH from shutoutHorford disagreed with Rozier’s assessment, thinking he’s playing even better.“I don’t know if young Al Horford played like this, to be honest,” the former four-time All-Star said. “You know, it’s been years of just working on my game and try to play this new way.” CPP denies ‘Ka Diego’ arrest caused ‘mass panic’ among S. Tagalog NPA Kammuri turning to super typhoon less likely but possible — Pagasa Brace for potentially devastating typhoon approaching PH – NDRRMC LATEST STORIES Lowry’s 3-pointer with 5:32 left in the first quarter moved him past Andrea Bargnani (6,581 points) into fourth place on Toronto’s scoring list. Vince Carter is third with 9,420 points.TIP-INSRaptors: DeRozan had 20 or more points for the seventh straight regular season game in Boston and is averaging 22 points in that stretch. … Norman Powell left the game with a right hip pointer.Celtics: Boston held an opponent under 100 points for the 11th time in its last 12 games. Opponents are averaging 92.2 points during the winning streak. … Rozier scored at least 10 points in a career-best three straight games.UP NEXTRaptors: Continue a three-game trip Tuesday night against Houston.Celtics: Visit Brooklyn on Tuesday night in a tuneup for Thursday night’s home showdown with defending champion Golden State. United States beats Belarus to win its 18th Fed Cup title John Lloyd Cruz a dashing guest at Vhong Navarro’s wedding MOST READ